Steam press for cellulose materials



Feb. 27, 1934. J J EN 1,948,898

STEAM PRESS FOR CELLULOSE MATERIALS Filed April 17, 1933 ZSheets-Sheet 1 //\/Z/E/\/ 727R JUUUS M: .BAUMGARTEN Feb. 27, 1934. J. J E. BAUMGARTEN 1,948,898

STEAM PRESS FOR CELLULOSE MATERIALS Filed April 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q, 1T1! j q 59 90 90 m 5a as g m //vz%=/\ 717 JULIUS J.E. BAUMGARTEN 4 7' TERA/E Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFFCE Claims.

This invention relates generally to the art of dentistry, and particularly to a steam press for cellulose materials.

The main object of this invention is the con- 5 struction of a steam press of the character referred to which will be inexpensive to manufacture and automatic in its operation, and which will produce perfect and uniform dentures without danger of breakage and in a minimum amount of time.

The second object is to so construct the press that after having been started the operator may leave same and the temperature and pressure to which the dentures are subjected will be automatically maintained until the operation is completed, giving the operator free use of his time for other purposes.

These, and other objects, will become more apparent from the specification following as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a plan of the device with the upper portion broken away in section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along the line 2--2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5 --5 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a section taken along the line 7-7 in Fig. 1 showing the relief valve.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section along the line 8-8 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a section taken along the line 9-9 in Fig. 8.

Similar numbers of reference refer to similar 40 parts throughout the several views.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the device consists of a cylindrical container 10 which is held in an elevated position by means of the legs 11 and has mounted on the under side of its bottom 12 a gas burner 13 to which gas is supplied by a pipe 14 under the control of the safety cut-off valve 15 and the stop valve 16, both of which valves are in series. The former functions to cut off the flow of gas to the burner 13 when the pressure in the container 10 becomes excessive and the latter functions to stop the flow of gas to the burner 13 when the operation is sufficiently advanced, as will be explained in detail later.

The container 10 is provided with a closure 17 having a tapering seat 18 and provided with radially extending lugs 19 to engage the wing nuts 20 on the bolts 21 which are hinged to the lugs 22 projecting from the sides of the container 10.

Extending downwardly from the closure 17 are the guide rods 23 which support the bed 24 of the press. Guiding on the rods 23 is a slidable head 25 between which and the bed 24 are placed the mold parts 26 and 27 containing the denture materials 28. Pressure is applied to the head 25 by means of a screw 29 on the lower end of which is provided a ball 30 on the top side of which is placed a cover plate 31. The ball 30 provides a universal connection between the screw 29 and the head 25.

The screw 29 is threaded into the closure 17 and the upper end 32 of the screw 29 is splined to receive the collar 33 whose position is fixed by means of a set screw 34. On the top side of the closure 17 is mounted a splined hub 35 through which the end 32 passes. The hub 35 is held downwardly against the closure 1'7 by means of a plate 36 whose inturned end 37 engages the groove 38 in the hub 35. Projecting from the hub 35 is a ratchet wheel 39 from whose top side project the handles 40 and 41.

Mounted on the closure 17 is a cylinder 42 whose piston 43 is provided with a piston rod 44 whose outer end slides in the guide 45 which is secured on the top of the closure 17. The end 46 of the cylinder 42 is integral with the cylinder itself while the end 47 is threaded into the end of the cylinder 42 and carries a gland nut 48 by means of which the packing 49 may be compressed against the piston rod 44. I

The side 50 of the cylinder 42 is provided with a cylindrical recess 51 in which is rockably mounted the valve 52 having a central opening 53 which communicates with the interior of the container 10 and the radial openings 54 and 55 which communicate alternately with the passageways 56 and 57, the former of which communicates with the portion of the cylinder 42 nearest the end 46 and the latter of which communi cates with the portion of the cylinder 42 nearest the end 47.

In the surface of the valve 52 between the openings 54 and 55 is an exhaust groove 58 which constantly communicates with the exhaust passageway 59 opening to the atmosphere and provided with an exhaust valve 60 by means of which the operation of the piston 43 is governed. The exhaust valve 60 is in the form of a shaft which rotatably intersects the exhaust opening 59 and has a cut-away portion 61 formed therein in order that the rotation of the exhaust valve 60 will vary the restriction imposed on the exhaust passageway 59 and regulate the escape of steam therefrom.

On the upper side of the valve 60 is mounted a segment gear 62 which meshes with a pinion 63 on the stem 64 of the stop valve 16. The segment gear 62 is also provided with an extension 65 which extends in the direction of the ratchet wheel 39.

The handle 41 is provided with a vertical slot 66 in which is hingedly mounted a bell crank lever 67 whose end 68 is urged out of the path of the extension by means of a spring 69, while its upper end 70 is held in the path of the collar 33 and forced out thereby against the spring 69 when the collar 33 descends suiiiciently thereby causing the end 68 to move into the path of the extension 65 and actuate said segment gear 62 in a manner to close the stop valve 16 when the head 25 is depressed a given amount, namely when the pressing operation is completed.

Mounted on the closure 17 is a bell crank lever 71 by means of a pivot 72. The end '73 of the lever '71 occupies a slot 74 in a yoke 75 which is mounted on or forms a part of the piston rod 44. The end 76 of the lever 71 is joined by a link 77 to a slotted arm '78 formed on the upper end of the valve 52. The lever '71 also carries a springurged pawl 79 which engages the teeth 80 of the ratchet wheel 39.

It is desirable to provide the arm '78 with an evtension 81 which is urged toward either of its extreme positions of travel by means of a spring 82, or any other equivalent mechanism.

In order to prevent over-pressures from being formed within the container 10 there is provided a relief valve 83 consisting of a cylindrical chamber having slidably mounted therein a piston 84 whose under side communicates by means of a reduced opening 85 with the interior of the container 10.

The piston 84 is urged downwardly by means of a spring 86 and when moved upwardly by means of an excess pressure within the container 10 uncovers a relief port 8'? formed in the side of the valve 83. The piston 84 is joined by a rod 88 to a rock lever 89 which is pivotally mounted at an intermediate point to the upper end of an arm 90 which also forms a part of the valve 83. The opposite end of the lever 89 is joined by means of a rod 91 to the lever 92 which is mounted on the stem 93 of the cut-off valve 15.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that the denture is properly placed within the mold portions 26 and 27 and that the closure 17 and its attached parts are now lifted. into position and secured (as shown in Fig. 2) and that there is a supply of water 94: in the bottom of the container 10 and. that the burner 13 has been operated suiiiciently to pre-heat the water 94, it can be seen that all that is required of the operator is to rotate the handles 40 and 41 manually until a slight amount of pressure is brought to bear upon the mold parts, after which a sufiicient increase of pressure within the container 10 will cause steam to reciprocate the piston 43. It can be seen that each time the piston 43 moves toward an end of the cylinder 42 it will operate the bell crank lever 71 and, through the links 77, actuatethe valve 52 thereby reversing the direction of travel of the piston 43 and permitting the steam previously admitted to escape through the passageway 59, under the control of the valve 60.

Obviously, as soon as the heat within the container l0 sufiiciently softens the denture materials 28 it will yield more readily to the action of the press which, through the action of the pawl '79, causes the ratchet wheel 39 to rotate, and of course move the screw 29 downwardly. When the head 25 has descended sufiiciently to satisfy the operating requirements the collar 33, which has been previously positioned, will actuate the lever 6'7 so that the next time its end 68 swings past the extension 65 it will engage same and,

by actuating the segment gear 62, close the stop valve 16 cutting off the flow of gas to the burner 13 and permitting the operation to be completed under the heat stored within the container 10. This same rotation of the gear 62 will cause the valve 60 to rotate and close the opening 53, thereby stopping the further action of the press.

If, for example, during the operation of the press an abnormal temperature should develop within the container 10 the piston 84 will simply rise to uncover the relief port 87, and at the same time out down the flow of gas by means of the cut-oii valve 15 acting through the rock lever 89 and the rod 91.

It is understood, of course, that variations may be made in the details of construction of this device without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is my intention to include all equivalents for the structure set forth as outlined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A steam press having in combination a container, means for supplying heat to said container, a closure for said container having a screw press depending therefrom extending into said container and having the screw thereof projecting through said closure, means for manually rotating said screw, and a steam-actuated prime mover for actuating said screw from steam developed within said container.

er, a removable closure for rendering said container steam-tight, a screw press within said container depending from said closure, a steam driven actuator for said press, and means for interrupting the operation of said press at a predetermined point.

3. A steam press having in combination a container, means for supplying heat to said container, a removable closure for rendering said container steam-tight, a screw press within said container depending from said closure,a steam driven actuator for said press, and means for interrupting the flow of heat to said container when said press reaches a. pie-determined point.

4. A steam press having in combination a container, means for supplying heat to said container, a removable closure for rendering said container steam-tight, a screw press within said container depending from said closure, a steam driven actuator for said press, means for interrupting the operation of said press at a pro-determined point, and means for interrupting the flow of heat to said container when said press reaches a predetermined point.

5. A steam press comprising a container including a heating unit, a screw press within said 1 container, a closure for said container, a steamactuator for said press, means for interrupting the flow of heat to said container during abnormal pressures, a ratchet driven actuator for said press including a steam-driven prime mover JULIUS J. E. BAUMGARTEN.

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